Given the state that modern heavy metal finds itself in, it’s only viciously natural that people will find names to latch onto to not only rely on for quality but to walk into the future with such that they become the new faces of the genre as time moves forward. When Sumerlands first came around six years ago with their other-worldly self-titled debut, it was clear that many were ready to hoist the band up to those wildly high standards given all that was accomplished in those eight tracks that are still holding firm against the very test of time six years later. It feels like an eternity since then, but patience has finally won us a supreme victory as we find ourselves faced with the sophomore effort from Sumerlands that is every bit the follow-up that we’ve been dying for.

Out of the gate, the very premise and approach of Sumerlands are delightfully simple with it being something that many, many bands have tried to bring to life in a meaningful fashion for decades now, but only the very best have been able to deliver such a thing that can leave us with our jaws on the floor. A fast, melodic approach that isn’t afraid to change up those simple ideals with an adept hand that manages to become so much more with the right mindset, Sumerlands proved to be an entity that simply had to be watched tirelessly. Now, with the arrival of “Dreamkiller”, I think it’s pretty easy for those of us who were there at the beginning to kick back and lounge in complete victory as the rest of the world is now shown the real power that Sumerlands offers at every possible turn. For the whole of these eight tracks, “Dreamkiller” is an album whose excellence cannot simply be turned down or denied in any form as it’s between the speed, the riffs, and the pristinely selective use of atmosphere in certain moments that this becomes what will likely be the heavy metal experience of 2022 with any usurper would be to deliver a monumental experience that would shatter whatever is left over of our minds after what “Dreamkiller” has presented us with. To say that Sumerlands missed any sort of target with this creation would be to spit in the very face of talent that is all but delectable in every aspect of every account, and I’ve no doubt that this is still just the very tip of the spear of what this maddeningly talented quintet is capable of.

I could sit here and gush for hours over the wonders that have been achieved here for this album, but that would only partially capture the magnificence that is on full display here in Sumerlands’s second coming. All that is “Dreamkiller” is the very definition of what many would consider quintessential in a heavy metal album of this caliber from its attitude to its cover art with the wonder that’s put forth here the sort that makes you hope it’s not another six years before we hear from Sumerlands again.

“Dreamkiller” releases on September 16th via Relapse Records!

LISTEN to singles from “Dreamkiller” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Sumerlands on Facebook here.